Cable conveyor systems have been in use for decades. These cable conveyor systems use an endless loop tubular system extend to remote locations and then end up back where they started. This could be compared to or can be similar to a tube that is circular, for example like a hollow round hula hoop, but the tube itself usually takes a winding path (for example as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,197,938 to Klinkenberg) and the tubular system has structural differences at the corners where it makes turns. It also has other structural members attached to it, such as inlets, outlets (for example as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,031,857 to Jones), cable drive units (for example as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,195,725 to Jones), idler housings (FIG. 5), etc., all of which are well known in a general way in this art.
For the purposes of this document, “endless loop” is defined herein as a somewhat endless track or circuit. In the case of an endless loop tubular system it starts out at one point, extends to wherever else it is designed to go, and then ends up back at that one starting point again.
These aforementioned endless loop tubular systems also have an endless loop flexible member inside with the ends thereof attached to each other to form a “circuit” within the endless loop tubular system. These endless loop flexible members are typically cables, but “endless loop flexible members” can include chains, ropes, or the like. The endless loop flexible member has inserts or discs on them such as those shown on the cables of the aforementioned U.S. Patents, all of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. The endless loop tubular systems can, for example, wind through a building to have outlets wherever the user may wish to deliver the product being conveyed, there being an unlimited possibility of shapes of the endless loop tubular system and virtually an unlimited number of outlet opening locations for selectively delivering the material being conveyed to wherever desired. Typically each outlet opening can be opened or closed individually as will be understood from the description below.
One of the few problems associated with such a cable conveyor system is that there can be some shearing of the material being conveyed when an object being conveyed is pinned between the exit end of the outlet opening and one of the discs or inserts pushing the object through the tubular system. This problem is illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 1A which show a cable 10 passing through a tube 11. A gear 12 is on one end of the tube 11 so the tube can be rotated about the axial center of the tube by rotating it. Discs/inserts 13 are attached to the cable 10, which are shown pushing pistachio nuts P to the left in FIGS. 1 and 1A. The pistachio nuts P being conveyed are being delivered to a chosen place below an outlet opening 14, and can be seen dropping out of an outlet opening 14. The entry side 14en of the outlet 14 is where the pistachio nuts P start dropping out of the outlet 14 and the end 14ex of the outlet 14 is where the pistachio nuts P stop dropping out of the opening 14.
The problem to be solved by the invention disclosed below is illustrated by the pistachio nut P1 that is being pinned between the disc 13 and the exit end 14ex of the opening 14. When this occurs, the pistachio nut P1 will be broken into pieces. These pieces of pistachio nut P1, for illustration purposes only, is shown to be shell portions P2 and P3 and meat portion P4, shown in dashed lines below the pistachio P1 in FIGS. 1 and 1A. Typically when this breaking up of a pistachio nut P occurs, it breaks the pistachio P1 into many more pieces than are shown in FIG. 1. When this occurs, of course, it degrades the quality of the pistachio nuts P being delivered out the outlet opening 14 that have been broken in the manner illustrated in FIG. 1.
Accordingly, there is a need for an outlet for a cable conveyor system that reduces shearing of the objects being conveyed.